IBEW 1245 members and City of Lompoc employees Mark and Dorine Fabing have endured the kind of loss that no family should ever have to go through.
In 2005, the Fabing’s son, Brice, was killed in a tragic car accident on his way home from football practice. He was just 17 years old. The Fabings describe him as “full of life and extremely blessed with the all-around excellent gifted athletic ability” and note that “he was involved in so many community activities and took pride in giving to the needy and elderly as he grew up.”
When the Fabings lost their son, the Lompoc community and fellow City employees came together, holding fundraisers to help them pay for the funeral and providing an outpouring of support, both financial and personal. This selfless act of giving touched the Fabings tremendously.
“It is forever embedded in our hearts, and it was then, as we were picking up the pieces of our lives, we knew we had to give back in some way to the community who gave to us during an extreme time of need,” according to the Fabings.
The family decided to give back to the community that helped them through such a difficult and painful loss by holding an annual fundraiser of their own. For the past eight years, the family has honored the memory of their son by distributing bikes and helmets in Brice’s name to needy children in the Lompoc community. This year, the Lompoc Unit of IBEW 1245 contributed $500 to the Fabing’s “Bikes 4 Kids” program, and helped the family’s charity exceed its goal.
“Our family was extremely touched by this random act of kindness and truly appreciates the City Employees’ support,” the Fabings wrote in a thank-you note to the union. “We were able to go over our goal of 81 bikes. We are proud to announce we reached 95 bikes this year for our son’s memorial fundraiser.”
“Your donation was instrumental in getting these bikes … to CAC, Woman’s shelters, Domestic Violence, Catholic Charities, Good Samaritan, Mark House, Hope House, Bridget house, Home way Recovery, Lovarc, and foster care programs. We know in our hearts that Brice would be very proud to make a child smile on Christmas morning by receiving a bike,” the Fabings wrote. “We know that this very special gift brought the Christmas spirit to a family in need, and in doing so, made a small difference in our great community!”